- 1966 Aston Martin DB6
- Dubonnet Rosso with Black interior
- Modern air-conditioning and electric power-steering
- Borg-Warner automatic gearbox
Built on 19 July 1966, this Aston Martin DB6 was sold early the following year to its first owner, a Mr Berg of Essoldo Circuit Control Ltd in Newcastle. Chassis number DB6/2895/R was supplied via Lex Garages and finished in Dubonnet Rosso with Black Connolly VM 8500 interior.
An original right-hand-drive UK-market car, it was fitted with engine number 400/2770 and the optional Borg-Warner automatic gearbox. Other factory-fitted equipment included chrome wheels, a heated rear windscreen, three-ear hub caps and a power aerial.
After Mr Berg, the DB6 passed to a succession of owners who were all based in the south-east of England – George Hamilton Hare in Chiswick, Brian Stanford in Surrey, and Jamil Anwar Hayat in Bromley. A copy of the sales invoice to Hare shows that he paid £1075 for it in June 1973 and that it was registered PLN 448E. It was subsequently given the number GBK 1D and a letter from Hare to a later owner says that he sold it because of its fuel consumption in that Oil Crisis era.
The Aston Martin changed hands twice in the early 2000s, and after acquiring the car in June 2004 its latest custodian embarked on a full restoration. This body-off process is fully documented in the car’s paperwork and he also enthusiastically started to trace the car’s history. Sadly, he didn’t get to the bottom of a bullet hole in the front wing, which he’d been told about by a previous owner. There was no sign of it until the car was taken back to bare metal, when it was found by the restorer.
One theory is that the DB6 might have been owned by Colonel Colin Mitchell – also known as ‘Mad Mitch’ – who served with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. This has never been confirmed, though.
The car was restored to first-class condition and now benefits from modern air-conditioning and electric power-steering. The electrics have been converted to negative earth and an alternator has been fitted, and the paperwork includes extensive invoices from Aston Service Works in Newport Pagnell as well as marque specialists such as RS Williams. There are also receipts going back to the mid-1970s and MoT certificates to the early 1990s.
Now being offered for sale in its original colour combination, this Aston Martin DB6 is beautifully presented and has been cared for with no expense spared. The automatic gearbox is well matched to the 4-litre engine, and it’s a superb example of this classic British Grand Tourer.
Model history
The DB6 was the ultimate development of a bloodline that began in 1958 with the DB4 and which, for many enthusiasts, still defines the classic Aston Martin. Although it retained the basic Touring styling of the DB4 and DB5, the DB6 featured an extended wheelbase and a higher roofline in order to provide more room in the rear.
It also introduced a redesigned rear end, with a Kamm-style ‘cut off’ and a spoiler that reduced lift and gave the DB6 a link to Aston Martin’s Project 215 racer.
The Tadek Marek-designed 3995cc straight-six engine was carried over from the DB5, in either triple-SU specification or as the triple-Weber Vantage. A Powr-Lok limited-slip differential, chrome wire wheels and automatic transmission were offered as no-cost options.
Beneath the skin, there was rack-and-pinion steering and independent front suspension, with a live rear axle and Watt linkage. Girling disc brakes were fitted all round, and a five-speed manual gearbox was standard fitment.
The DB6 was launched at the 1965 London Motor Show and was offered in both coupé and open-top Volante forms. At just under £5000, it was more expensive than the DB5, but Motor magazine opened its road test by stating that it was ‘superior in every way’ to its predecessor. It posted a 0-60mph sprint in 6.1 seconds and 100mph came up in only 15 seconds, while its top speed was recorded as being 147mph – slightly short of Aston Martin’s claimed maximum.
A Mk2 version was introduced in 1969 – with wider wheels and optional fuel injection – and the model remained in production until late the following year before finally being discontinued.